Posted this first on my Instagram page. This is part of the very very ‘short story’ thing that I recently started doing because I hardly have time to write my average length short stories. 🙂 So I put my ideas into small ‘short stories’ like these.

The app that enables me to do this is called – Mirakee, which is basically like Instagram but for writers. I got introduced to it by another writing page on Instagram. So if you decide to join it – Username: sonailiwrites.

The picture at the back was by a very good friend of mine called Arlene, she takes amazing pictures in general, but she doesn’t do it as a hobby or seriously in anyway :/.

Also I know I haven’t been very active on my blog lately but like I said A level is too time occupying.

If you like my short stories follow me on Instagram where I am more active.

Another very short story. I feel like this is one of my best of those pieces yet. Because here is the thing, if you know you want to be with someone, go after them now. Because you may never know what might change.

I for a fact know, that I don’t want to end up with anyone that I know from my high school. This is because, I know its going to bug me at the back of mind as I will be wondering that, if I have known someone for that long, where were their feelings all those years. This was kind of written from a little bit of personal experience. Especially since my high school life wasn’t exactly smooth and lively.

But, at the end of the day this is my opinion. Everyone is entitled to love who they want and when they want; all I’m trying to say is that one has to be cautious as to how they treat people because, they might not know what that same person may mean to them in the future.

Jason sat silently next to Alexis on the train, reading his newspaper. Today was their one year anniversary and he was so excited to show her the surprise that he had planned for her, in fact, that is where they were headed to now. He didn’t talk at all for he was afraid that he might let something slip and ruin the surprise, and he knew that he had a habit for doing this.

Alexis sat next to Jason and was smiling to herself as she stared at the picture of the two of them, that she had just uploaded on to her Instagram. It had gotten 36 likes so far and she knew more likes were on their way. She loved the way that she and Jason looked together. Everyone who knew them said they were so cute together. But most of all she found it amazing how he had managed to make her fall for him within that year that they had been together. Alexis had always been the girl who would mess around with guys, in fact she didn’t think she would have settled down if it hadn’t been for Jason. She had met him at a party and they soon hit off as good friends, then she remembered how she the developed a possessive feeling over him; especially when another girl spoke to him. That is when she realized that she had developed feeling for him and then one day she couldn’t hold it in anymore and so she told him. Things hit off from there and now it would be a year since they were together.

Their stop was the last and so Jason knew that they would be there for a while and so he continued reading the newspaper that he held. Though he read nothing seemed to be getting into his head because he too was taking a trip down memory lane. He was remembering how confused he felt when Alexis first came and told him how she felt. How he didn’t know how to respond because though he wouldn’t admit it to himself he was somehow hoping that she would come back from wherever she had gone. But when he actually thought about it he knew that he had to stop thinking about her. When she had gone he was lost, for he had honestly thought that he had found the one. Jason recalled as to how he at first was just using Alexis to get over her, but he had gradually started actually liking her for who she is. Alexis did not anything about who Sonia was and how much she had meant to Jason, and Jason wanted to leave it that way. All Alex knew was that Jason had an ex, but she did not know her name or anything about her and every time Alexis asked he changed the topic or dodged the question all together.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Alexis calling him to look at how cute some kid was. When he did look up, he briefly glanced at the kid and smiled at him. The little boy had dark brown hair and green eyes but he is not the one that caught Jason’s eye. The lady sitting next to the little boy made him freeze. She too sat still with her phone in her hand and then finally she looked up, and he felt his breath was knocked out of him. It was like he had forgotten to breathe. She stared directly at him and he couldn’t help but stare back, his eyes bored into her hazel ones. She didn’t look much different, except for the highlights in her hair being more prominent. Her skin naturally glowed the way it always used to and her eyes had the same twinkle in them, which they did before. Her eyes began to glisten a little.

All the time that they spent together and everything that they had shared played in his mind like a movie. He blew out a long breath that he was holding. Then the emotions started to hit him, the joy of seeing her again, the heart ache, the anger and the curiosity. This happened as he flashbacked all he felt when she left him. He remembered how hurt he was, how he had felt as though a part of him had been ripped off. Then he was angry because he had spent so much time looking for her due to worry. Only to discover that she had left without as much as a word. There was a point all he felt for her was hatred and spite, but the feeling of longing slowly crept back up. Longing for her. She was there for him when he desperately needed someone, and they had been through so much together. But now he has a scar on his heart in the shape of her name. A scar though he tried to forget about, he couldn’t. He had tried so hard not to think about her, because every time he did he would feel guilty especially since Alexis.

He also felt guilty because the reason that he had shown interest in Alexis was selfish. He thought that she would help him get over Sonia. It has only been working to an extent. And now that he saw her standing in front of him. He felt a feeling of longing, a feeling he was trying to suppress but couldn’t. He needed answers.

Their tense stare was broken when the little boy tugged at her sleeve and she looked away. She quickly got up and shook her head a little as if she were waking up from a trance. She held on to the nearest pole for support, as if she were going to collapse. She visibly blew out a long breath, in an attempt to compose herself. She then looked back. My body was no longer in my control, as I unconsciously got up from my seat slightly and nearly called out to her. But she was already gone, the train doors closing behind. All he wanted were answers.

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Sonaili – This is long overdue and I am extremely sorry. For those of you are not aware of what is going on and are new, there is a part 1 which should fill you in and help with understanding.

As I had said this is my new idea and I know this story is quite short but this is what I had wanted initially. Also I know this quite late for Halloween but I had explained in my last post why I posted this late.

I also know the picture quality is not very good but I was so desperate to get it up.

Please ignore the picture quality and give feedback on the story itself 🙂.

_________Separated________

“How is that little one of yours doing?” her mum asked on the other end of the phone.

“He has a name mum, and yes he is doing perfectly fine” Sonia sighed in annoyance. “Anyways I have to go now” And without waiting for a reply, she cut the call.

She then picked up her coffee from the kitchen counter and took a sip out of it. She hated how her mum never called Dylan by his name. She would have thought that by now, her mother would have accepted and learnt to love Dylan, but clearly she was wrong.

She glanced over to the four year old boy who was in the living room, he was drawing away and colouring on the sketch pad that she had bought him a few days ago. He looked so content and care free as he scribbled away, his eyes were scrunched up in concentration and he was biting his bottom lip.

She knew exactly where he had gotten that habit from. Every time she looked at Dylan she couldn’t help but think of how much he looked like him. From his green eyes, to his light brown hair.

It had been four and a half years since she last saw him, Sonia often found herself wondering, what he must be doing right now and where he would be. But she knew the chances of her finding out, were pretty narrow. Though there was a part of her that wanted to know all this, there was another huge part of her that knew that she was better off not knowing.

She was dreading the day that Dylan would ask about his father, and though she avoided that topic, she knew that the coming of the day was inevitable. That is why she had kept away every memory that her and Jason had ever shared together, so that when the time came she would tell Dylan exactly what had happened.

She remembered it as if it were yesterday, the day she was dragged away from her home only because the people she called her parents had found out about her and Jason. It was a Saturday and she had come home for the summer holidays after completing her second to last year at university. She remembered how she didn’t want to go home that summer and how much she was dreading it. The main reason she had to come home in the first place, was to say goodbye to her Dad, who was leaving for London, because he had been transferred there for work.

Her Dad had been working in a multi-national company, in fact he still worked for the same company. Sonia remembered how much her dad had wanted her pursue something in the business field, but she had hated maths and business in high school and didn’t want anything to do with it at university or college. Writing and English had always been her passion and hence that is exactly what she wanted to do, but her Dad had refused her to do so, he had even threatened not to send her to university or college. Sonia knew that this was wrong on so many levels but back then she couldn’t help but think how her parents would feel if their only daughter disappointed them. So when she did go to college she majored in Business and did a minor in writing. This was the compromise that she made with her dad. Her mum as usual had no say in matters and always had to agree with what her dad said.

It was during her second year that she met Jason he was majoring in Writing and Journalism and they had a combined class once. At first they were just friends and then things slowly escalated and one thing lead to another. Then she made the biggest mistake of telling her parents about him. The only reason she had told them about him was because they indirectly kept on telling her to look at different Indian guys who could be potential boyfriends, these guys also happened to be family friends.

So one day she blurted it out in rage and frustration that she was in love with someone else and that his name was Jason. Her parents went on to give her a long lecture about differences in race, religion, culture amongst other things; this lecture ended in her dad threatening to pull her out of college. What had frustrated her so much back then, was the fact they didn’t even bother to meet Jason. So she pretended to end things with him because she loved her college and wanted to stay there.

When she returned to college for her third year she had known that she eventually had to end things with him. Just as she was about to call things off though, his dad passed away. She couldn’t bear to break his heart anymore and it also gave her an excuse not break up with him. So she stayed and she remembered how glad she was that she did.

Then came the devastating summer holidays where she had left her phone lying around and her father had happened to read through her messages. He made up his mind then and there that Sonia and her mother were to go with him to England. Her phone was taken away; she still remembers the last thing she had written to him. The three words that she only tells to those really close to her; ‘I love you’.

She often finds herself wondering what would have happened if her parents had not found out about her and Jason. Would they be staying together as a family?

She currently stays in a two bedroom apartment in New York with her best friend, Hannah. Hannah’s dad owns a publishing company and has his own magazine. She works in the sales department for the magazine and is also the assistant editor. Sonia partially owed what and who she was today, to Hannah. Hannah had been her friend since high school but they had both gone to separate colleges; that didn’t stop them from talking though.

Hannah is the only other person who knows about Dylan, Sonia had literally spent two years of her life in hiding until her parents had finally allowed her to get in touch with people here in America. Though the thought did cross her mind to call Jason she didn’t have the guts or the courage to, so she called Hannah. To say Hannah was shocked would be an understatement, but she was so understanding.

The magazine that Sonia works for is in fact a new venture of Hanna’s dad and Hannah had recommended Sonia to her dad. The hours were flexible, which allowed Sonia to spend time with Dylan and there were times where she could even work from home.

Sonia remembered how she had jumped at the opportunity as soon as Hannah had told her. That was two years ago, ever since then, she has been staying with Hannah and is now looking to buy her own flat with the money she has saved up. Obviously her parents had not been happy about her moving back to the states but she is glad she did.

Her long trail of thoughts and traveling back down memory lane, is interrupted by her phone ringing. The caller’s ID indicates that it is Hannah, so she quickly grabs it and picks it up. If it was her mum she wouldn’t have bothered doing so.

“Hey” She greets her, glancing over to Dylan who is now playing with his cars and watching TV; the volume is turned up to the max, preventing her from hearing Hannah’s reply.

Sonia quickly walks over to the TV and turns the volume down. Dylan immediately starts to whine but stops when Sonia shoots him a glare. She then turns her focus back to Hannah.

“Sorry what did you say?”

“We are still on for lunch yeah? The review has to be sent in by the end of the week and it is Wednesday today” Hannah informed her once again. The previous time being when the TV was too loud and Sonia hadn’t heard a thing.

“Oh my god to be honest I had totally forgotten, you already there?” Sonia glanced at her watch which showed 12:15pm.

“No but I am living the office now, should I come pick you then we head there together?”

“Don’t stress yourself, I’ll take the subway; it’ll only take about twenty minutes”

“Okay then I’ll see you there then” and with that she hung up.

Sonia immediately went to get her and Dylan ready, after pouring her already cold coffee in the sink and rinsing the Cup.

She combed Dylan’s light brown hair and scrubbed his hands to remove all the pen marks, she then changed his clothes to something more presentable. She herself changes into a decent outfit which is a peach coloured top with dark blue jeans. Sonia hardly wears make-up as she strongly believes in natural beauty and so she just put on a bit of mascara and dabs on a bit of brown lipstick. She leaves her dark brown highlighted hair to flow openly.

Before leaving the apartment with Dylan she makes sure to carry his beaker of water, her phone and a small notebook and pen in her purse. Sonia and Hannah sometimes contribute to the restaurant review section of the magazine and hence that is what they were going to do.

The nearest station is just a five minute walk away and soon Sonia is there and on the train. She gets the seat nearest to the door. She sits Dylan down on the seat next to hers and begins making a list of all the things she has to rate the restaurant by, on her phone.

Whilst doing so she eavesdrops on the conversation a girl her age has started with Dylan. The lady asks Dylan for her name and Dylan confidently tells her in his broken speech that he is not allowed to tell it to strangers. Sonia smiles to herself proud of her son, he does tell her how old he is when she asks, and Sonia does not mind this though. She quickly looks up from her phone to look at the lady who gives her a quick smile.

The lady looks to be about 25 or 26 which is Sonia’s age, she has blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. Sonia focuses back on her phone when she gets a message from Hannah that she is already there, Sonia is about to reply that she nearly there; in fact the stop after the one which is next, is hers. But just as her fingers glide over the screen of her phone, she freezes, for the stranger lady sitting next to Dylan says something that makes her breathing become unsteady.

The lady had spoken to the man sitting next to her, whose face had been buried in a newspaper when Sonia had previously glanced up.

The lady had called him Jason and had asked him to look at how cute Dylan was.

Sonia was having a mental inner battle on whether to look up or not. The train had just stopped at the station before hers. She is silently praying that this man is not who she thinks it is, but a part of her longs to see him, to see what he looks like and when the train departs the station she finally has the courage to look up. Her palms are sweaty and trembling.

She thought she was a bit prepared after she had let out that long breath, but nothing could have prepared her enough, for when she looks up there are a pair of very familiar green orbs already staring at her.

Her breath hitches in her throat and her mouth becomes dry as she stares at him and takes him in. He doesn’t look that different, except for the fact that he looks more mature.

Neither of them say a word but just stare at the other. Feelings of shock, anger, hatred, sadness, betrayal and disbelief can all be clearly seen on his face by Sonia. She herself, is going through an emotional battle as different flashbacks flood her mind.

Every memory that they had shared together, from the time they met- to the night when Dylan was conceived- to their final good-bye, hits Sonia like a brick. Tears threaten to fall from her eyes but she doesn’t let them, instead she continues to stare.

She is drawn back to reality by a tug at her sleeve, she lets out a shaky breath before glancing down to Dylan, as the train comes to halt. Sonia regains her posture and calm before getting up, whilst holding Dylan’s hand. She quickly glances at Jason one more time, his mouth is now open, indicating that he is about to say something but before he can, Sonia is already out of the train. The doors of the train shut behind her, and she turns to watch it, as it speeds away. A single tear drop does escape her eye as she stands at the platform, but only one question is circling her mind – Had he figured it out, when he saw Dylan?

I was listening to Charlie Puth’s album Nine Track Mind and the idea for this story just popped into my head; to be honest I don’t even know how. But Charlie Puth’s music is just amazing and I am a huge fan. In my last blog post I had mentioned that the next story was to be titled ‘Distance’ but after much thought I felt the title ‘Separated’ suits the story better. This story has two parts because though it is written in third person, part 1 will have an insight into Sonia’s thoughts and part 2 will have an insight into Jason’s thoughts. Part 2 is NOT going to be a continuation.

Before you read please note, this story is titled ‘Twist Of Fate’ for a reason. Also please try and ignore the lack of description and possible minor mistakes. I have been really busy this past two weeks with university applications and school work. I will work to better it in the near future. But for now give it a chance, I promise you will not regret it -Sonaili

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Bradley Evans woke up in his bed feeling all damp and shaken. He thought that they would have stopped by now, but clearly not. He placed his fingers on his temple and gave it a gentle massage, in an attempt to calm down his pounding head.

The nightmares always began the same way, with him climbing and hiking up the icy slopes of a mountain; and always ended with a piercing scream, that still happened to be echoing in his head.

The room was slightly illuminated by the light of the rising sun, which streamed in through the translucent curtains. He shook his head to try and rid himself of the pictures that flooded his mind. Bradley then rubbed his eyes, to get rid of the sleep and so that he could see well. The room around him was pretty a standard hotel room; with a small flat screen TV right opposite the bed, a full length mirror on one side of the room, a small dresser and a door leading to a small bathroom.

It was no five star hotel, but the lodge they were staying at was just enough for their expedition. If he was to say that he was looking forward to the trek ahead of them, then he would be lying to himself. However he would say it, just to make Claire happy.

He got up to get out of bed slowly, he didn’t want to wake her up. As soon as he removed the quilt covers, a hint of coldness hit him. But it was not as cold as it was outside because of the in-built radiators in the room. His toes curled up as soon as his feet hit the floor. He then slowly padded over to the window, pulling the curtains slightly across allowing him to stare out. The view was beautiful. A thin coat of snow covered the grass and in the near distance you could see the greyish slopes of the mountains they were to trek and climb later in the day. The sun was just rising hence making the small sheet of snow glisten. The tree branches had a couple of pink buds, but not enough to cover the entire tree like how they had the last time he was here.

He sighed a little, remembering the thrill that used to overcome him just by looking at a mountain or a huge rock that was in any way climbable. But he no longer felt that thrill, and every time he looked at such a mountain or rock or anything adventurous in general he would now feel heart ache.

“When did you wake up?” A voice from behind him spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts. He returned the curtain back to its original position and turned to face her.

Claire was still laying on the bed. Her elbow was propped up against the pillow and her head rested on her hand. Her voice was a bit groggy with sleep and her hair was in a slight mess.

“A while back” he replied, a small smile spreading across his face. It was not a genuine smile though, but he had to fake it, because he did not want to hurt Claire in any way.

As she reached over to the bedside table to grab her phone, Bradley walked across the room to the bathroom.

“It’s six o’clock, they said we had to meet the rest, at the hut, at seven thirty” She said, telling him something he already knew. He was now brushing his teeth and so he did not bother replying.

Claire slowly got up and out of bed. She walked over to the rucksacks that lay in a corner to check whether they have all the supplies for the hiking trip.

After another forty five minutes both of them had showered, wore clothes according to the weather and had finished packing their hiking and climbing gear.

“I can’t wait to get back out there” Claire said excitedly. “The thrill of it was amazing last time” She said as they started getting things out of their hotel room. Then she saw the look on his face and immediately back tracked.

“Obviously I do understand that this time it’s not all about fun and games and this expedition is important for you to move on and for our happy ever after” She said whilst grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Bradley somehow needed to hear that and so he pulled her in for a tight embrace and then planted a kiss on her forehead. He then proceeded to carry the rucksacks down the hotel corridor as Claire locked up the room and followed shortly behind. As she watched him walk in front of her, she had this feeling of joy inside of her that she couldn’t quite explain. She was happy that they were finally together, that she got to call him her fiancé. But she was not quite happy about being here, in fact she had to fake her happiness for his sake. She hated this place because it was where she did what she had to do to get him, right here. She thought back to how sick and tired she was of being stuck in the friend zone.

She remembered how annoying it was always being placed number two in his life. She remembered how she hated that the last time they were here someone else got to call him their fiancé.

So she smiled and smirked to herself as she walked behind him.

After checking out and leaving all their unnecessary luggage at the reception. They both started the 15 minute walk to the meeting point where there would meet all the other hikers, climbers and their guide.

During this fifteen minute walk they both greeted the locals politely, the locals were just as welcoming as they were the last time they were here. They both thought that Nepal was an incredible country.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be a bad trip after all, Bradley thought to himself. He relaxed a little thinking that maybe it was just his attitude that was spoiling everything for him. The incident happened three and a half years ago and it was time he properly moved on and got over it. Besides, he had Claire now.

Once they reached the small hut shaped building where the first meeting point was, they saw a small crowd had already gathered there. They both knew that it was better if they got acquainted with the group as they would be hiking and climbing with them for the next week or so. They didn’t bother going inside the small hut as they knew that just like last time someone would probably be with them shortly.

So they went over and greeted everyone. There was a traveling couple, a father and son who annually travel to different places, two girls who are best friends, a brother and sister, a small group of friends who were on holiday from college and two sisters. This group was much smaller compared to the group that they gone with previously. They introduced themselves as an engaged couple who were on holiday. Claire loved calling Bradley her fiancé in front of everyone, and just to show him off a bit more, she tightly held on to him by his arm.

Bradley and Claire were informed by the Monica, who one of the college students’, that the guides that were supposed to trek with the group would be with them shortly. But Bradley and Claire told her that they knew because this was not the first time that they were going on this expedition.

Each and every person that was part of the group was too engrossed in their conversation to notice the five guides make their way over to the group.

As soon as the guides reached the group of hikers and climbers that they were supposed to lead, one of them cleared his throat so as to get the hikers’ attention.

Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned to face them. The group of guides consisted of three women and to men. Everyone could tell that one of the lady and one man were from Nepal and the rest were from elsewhere. Everyone except Bradley and Claire, because though they were paying attention to what was being said their eyes were focused on Bradley’s rucksack which had snapped open and was refusing to close.

The man who had cleared his throat waited for a while for the both of them to stop fiddling around with the bag, but when he realised that they were not going to stop anytime soon and he figured they were listening he proceeded talking.

“My name is Ethan and I will be your head guide for the rest of the trek” He sounded as if he was from either Australia or New Zealand. As he continued talking more about the trek and told people a bit about himself, Bradley and Claire were still trying to close the darn bag.

Ethan was quite handsome to look at. He a deep, commanding yet friendly voice and he had a slight brown stubble growing around his jaw line. All the girls that were part of the trainee group were swooning a little.

He then went on to introducing the rest of the guides and telling everyone a bit about them. The local guides were called Kiran and Alina. Both of them were born in Nepal and at some point in their lives moved to another country. Kiran decided to come back five years ago to become a guide mountaineer and Alina returned from Scotland two years ago to do the same. The other guide was called Kristina and was from the USA and she had been living in Nepal for a year now; because she was traveller who had a degree in hospitality from Switzerland. And whilst pursuing this degree in university she fell in love with mountains and climbing them.

Bradley and Claire were paying attention the entire time that Ethan was speaking. They were also listening when the rest of the guides greeted everyone as Ethan introduced them, and finally they had just about managed to close the bag as the last guide was introduced.

“The last guide is a bit of a special person here, so I will let her introduce herself” Ethan announced.

The zip of the bag had closed and Bradley and Claire were tying the ropes of it but still paying attention.

“Hey everyone, my name is Katie or at least I think it is” The last guide spoke her voice rang out loud and clear yet had a hint of nervousness in it.

Both Bradley and Claire froze as soon as they heard her voice. Bradley’s heart was racing at a thousand miles per hour as he met Claire’s wide eyes. Both stood up from their spot on the ground in a jolt and turned to face the woman who was speaking.

Bradley couldn’t believe his eyes and he felt like his breath had been knocked out of him.

“The reason I’m saying that is because I have amnesia, this means that I literally cannot remember anything that happened to me before the accident” She continued without noticing the shock she was giving two of her audience members.

Bradley couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t seem to comprehend how it was even possible. How was she still alive? He couldn’t seem to hear anything she was saying, all he could do was stare. He blinked a couple of times to make sure he was not seeing things. When he was sure that what he was seeing was true. He took her in completely. From her thick brown hiking boots, to her brown her, to her red clothes and that’s when he saw it. The ring that looked like a pendant on her necklace. He drew a sharp breath in and suddenly he started finding it difficult to breathe.

Claire stood next to Bradley and stared at Katie as she continued talking. As Katie told her story, Claire gathered that Katie had amnesia and couldn’t remember anything that had happened, in her life before the accident. Katie said that she had been found by the locals unconscious and nearly dead, with a head injury about three years ago. The locals had then tried their level best to heal her using their medicines, and though they had healed her injuries, her fall had caused her apparent brain damage and she had no way of finding out who she was. She knew her name because it was engraved on the pendant of the necklace she was wearing when she was found.

Fury and rage burned within Claire. Katie was not supposed to have survived that fall, that’s why Claire had pushed her off the mountain edge in the first place. The only good thing was that, Katie had amnesia so it meant that the possibility of her remembering what had happened to her was narrow. But Katie being alive would mean that she and Bradley might not be able to be together after all, Claire thought.

Claire then looked over to Bradley and saw that he too was in total shock. He had become pale and his eyes held an unreadable expression, he also happened to be swaying a bit as if he were dizzy and he was holding his head. Suddenly he dropped unconscious to the ground.

Next weeks story is going to be titled ‘Distance’ and I personally love it a lot, I have already started working on it. Everything about it is great about it, but of course my readers will be the ones to decided. – Sonaili